The Great British Sewing Bee 2024 is officially returning to our screens on Tuesday 21st May! The much loved sewing programme is just around the corner, and we can’t wait.
Where to watch
You’ll be able to watch it on Tuesday 21st May at 9pm on BBC One, or catch up on iPlayer.
The contestants
Get to know a little about this year’s bees – they are Ailsa, Alex, Comfort, Don, Georgie, Janet, Lauren, Luke, Marcus, Neil, Pascha and Suzy.
Ailsa
Ailsa grew up in the Scottish Highlands and now lives in Glasgow – she loves swimming in Loch Lomond. She describes her sewing style as contemporary, sustainable, modern and experimental.
Alex
Alex lives in Derbyshire and works as a copywriter and editor. She learned to sew as a child and made her own stuffed toys. She is passionate about sustainability and believes comfort is key.
Comfort
Comfort trained as an architect and now works as a self-employed designer and business manager. She started sewing after giving birth to her first child and wanted to be more creative. Comfort loves batik and designs her own fabrics.
Don
Don was taught to sew by his mum over 70 years ago, learning on a hand-cranked sewing machine. He was a keen offshore sailor, and enjoys sewing simple but unusual garments. Don describes himself as a perfectionist.
Georgie
Georgie is a festival and club DJ, who loves to both knit and sew. She’s passionate about sustainability, and frequently uses tablecloths and quilted blankets for her makes.
Janet
Janet lives in Yorkshire and is retired. She loves oil painting as well as sewing. She loves making formal and glamorous dresses for holidays and her dancing classes.
Lauren
Lauren is a finance administrator living in Manchester, and is also a talented singer (taking after her Mum). She’s inspired by eighties fashion and loves the bold designs associated with the decade.
Luke
Luke works as a diversity, equality and inclusion director, and was taught to sew by their grandmother when they were eight. They have a drag persona, Selma Skreams.
Marcus
Marcus lives in London and works as a teaching assistant and arts assistant coordinator. He describes his sewing style as “jarring, garish or kitsch”. Marcus also enjoys DJing, rollerblading, building Lego and playing video games.
Neil
Neil is a woodwork teacher living in Leicester. He started sewing when he couldn’t find vintage style clothes to fit his 6’4″ frame. Interestingly, he leads a murder-themed bike tour in his spare time!
Pascha
Pascha is studying psychology and innovation at university. She once made a Marie Antoinette-inspired silk ballgown (which I’d love to see!). Pascha also enjoys growing, foraging and fencing.
Suzy
Suzy lives in Liverpool and recently left a job in corporate marketing to return to hospitality. She loves to use ruffles and big sleeves in her sewing designs, and regularly hunts for second hand bedsheets and curtains as fabric.
The judges
The judges are the iconic Esme Young and Patrick Grant, who both bring something different to the programme and have grown to be such a great duo over the years. They’re joined by Kiell Smith-Bynoe who’s hosting while Sara Pascoe is on maternity leave.
Follow along with us!
I’m so excited for this year’s series to start! I hope you are too. We’ll be posting weekly about each episode – summarising what happened and suggesting patterns and projects for you to try at home!
What should we do in the meantime?
We know, it’s hard to wait for it to come around. In the meantime, check back into WG Studio, because I’ll be posting my top GBSB makes ever. It’s not easy to choose, but every year there are a few makes that stand out from the crowd.
If you can’t wait for Sewing Bee content, have a look over our WG Studio posts about the GBSB from last year.
New to sewing?
The Sewing Bee has made sewing accessible, and inspired the nation to start creating. Seeing the contestants experimenting with different fabrics and styles is a lovely way to think about how you might tackle your own projects.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Tree Nation, the platform to reforest the world & fight climate change! Home to over 90 planting projects in 33 countries, Tree Nation is a non-profit organisation that helps people & companies offset their CO2 emissions.